


Love Will See Us Through

by JemWithA_J



Category: The Smoke (TV)
Genre: Explicit Language, F/M, Major Character Injury, Spoilers
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-02-19
Updated: 2019-02-19
Packaged: 2019-10-31 12:24:01
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,778
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17849420
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/JemWithA_J/pseuds/JemWithA_J
Summary: When Trish got the call that Kev had been involved in an accident at work, she rushed straight to the hospital, not knowing what to expect. But the reality of the situation was something neither of them could possibly have imagined and something that would change their lives & test their relationship to its limits.





	Love Will See Us Through

Trish crashed through the swinging doubles doors of the hospital ward. Mal was sitting on the floor of the corridor but as soon as he saw her he got to his feet.

“Trish…”

”Where is he Mal? I want to see him...”

Mal placed a gentle hand to her shoulder, stopping her from moving as he looked at her.

“They are still operating. There is nothing you can do unti…”

“What the fuck happened?”

She asked him, a hint of desperation to her voice. She got the call at 2am, having just dropped off to sleep. She always found it difficult to sleep when Kev was on nights but over the years she had learned to get used to it. They wouldn’t tell her anything, only that there had been an accident and Kev had got hurt and that she should make her way to the hospital. Mal looked at her, trying his best to keep his temperament as professional as he would if it were the family member of anyone who had been in an accident they had attended. But this wasn’t just anyone. This was Trish. And that was his best mate in there, fighting for his life.

“It was a fire. At the Churchill Estate…”

“I know it was a fucking fire, Mal!” Trish screamed in frustration, “You are Firefighters for fucks sake! But not every job leaves you in hospital!”

She broke off, shaking her head as she looked at him.

“I’m sorry…” she said, “I just...I don’t understand what happened…”

“There was a baby on the top floor.” Mal said, wishing he didn’t have to relive it all over again, “Kev went up to try and save it. But the aerial platform wasn’t ready…”

“Is he fucking stupid?” Trish said, staring open mouthed at Mal, “Why the hell would he go up there if he knew there wasn’t a safe way…”

“Nick guaranteed his exit route…” Mal interrupted, cursing the idiotic fool they called a Commander, “Kev thought the platform would be there, but it wasn’t…”

“Oh God…” Trish felt light headed, grasping back to find the wall to keep her standing, “Kev…”

Mal grabbed hold of her, guiding her down to a chair.

“I’ll go and get you a cup of tea…” he said, feeling useless and not knowing what to do for best, “Stay here, I won’t be long…”

As Mal walked back through the double doors into the foyer she closed her eyes. She never understood how Kev could do it. Walk into a building full of heat and flames and fear and not think of himself but of others. He would smile and kiss her hair and tell her that he didn’t need to worry about himself. Because the Watch stuck together and were there to look out for one another and keep each other safe. He would have thought that when he went up there. And now he’s lying in a hospital bed because someone let him down…

“Trish?”

A young, female voice shook Trish from the horrific thoughts swirling around her brain. Focussing on the here & now she saw a young, dark haired nurse looking at her, grasping her arm.

“Are you Trish?” She asked, carefully, “Kevin Allison’s partner?”

Trish nodded.

“Yeah...yeah I’m his girlfriend…”

The nurse smiled sadly, before handing her a folded piece of paper.

“He gave this to the Paramedics who brought him in…” she explained, “He told them to give it to Trish…”

Trish looked down at the folded piece of paper in her hands. Part of her wanted to unfold it and read it now. But the other part of her was scared of what it contained. She looked up at the nurse.

“Thank you.” She said, genuinely, and the nurse grabbed her hand, “How...how is he?”

“No news yet…” she replied, “As soon as we know something I will come and get you, I promise.”

She squeezed Trish’s hand kindly before making her way off down the corridor, leaving her stood alone, feeling more afraid and vulnerable than she had in a very long time. The silence was deafening as she turned the piece of paper over and over in her hands until she built up the courage to unfold it. And as she did a sob caught in her throat as she saw the message, scrawled in a child’s crayon on the scrap of paper which was covered in blood and soot. It didn’t even look like his writing, but she knew it was.

_Tell Trish I love her very much_

The room started spinning and she could hear screaming but she didn’t realise it was her own. As Mal came through the doors she collapsed down onto the floor. He dropped the drinks he was carrying, the hot liquid spilling out from the cups as they crashed to the floor and he ran over to grab hold of her.

“Is he going to die?”

She cried into Mal’s shoulder. He soothed her as she sobbed, her body heaving with them against his shoulder.

“Don’t be daft.” He says, trying to keep his voice light, “Kev’s a fighter, he’s going to be just…”

“Don’t bullshit me, Mal.” Trish said, wiping her eyes roughly, “This is me you are talking to. I can see right through you…”

Mal looked at her before closing his eyes. He couldn’t block out the sound of Kev’s screams as they pulled him onto the stretcher. The smell of burnt flesh and the state of his legs as the paramedics worked on him. He wasn’t allowed in the ambulance, he had to follow on behind. Taking a deep breath he opened his eyes and looked Trish straight in hers.

“It’s bad.” He admitted, and Trish let out a sob, clasping her hand to her mouth, “His legs were pretty badly burnt. He was in there quite a while before they got the platform up to him. He was conscious but in a lot of pain. But I’m not lying when I say that he’s a fighter. And if anyone can come through this then it’s him.”

They sat in silence. Neither of them knowing what to say. The minutes seemed to drag on for days, the waiting never ending. Every time someone walked through the door they got to their feet only to be told no news. Until finally the nurse who gave Trish the note walked up to them.

“He’s out of surgery. And doing as well as can be expected. The surgeon will come and speak to you once Kev is fully conscious…”

“Fully conscious?” Trish asked, panicking, “Is he in a coma…?”

“No…” the nurse smiled softly, shaking her head, “He is just very dosed up on painkillers and anaesthetic. So he’s in no state to talk to anyone. But you can sit with him if you like?”

Trish looked at Mal, who shook his head.

“You go. He needs you there with him, not me. I’ll come back tomorrow. I’ll bring him some grapes…”

Trish tried to smile, knowing that he was only trying to help. She pulled him into a hug, whispering thank you into his ear before following the nurse down the corridor.

“We’ve given him a private room for now…”

She explained to Trish as she guided her down corridor after corridor, “He still needs a lot of care and attention so it’s best for him to be alone until he’s feeling better.”

She stopped in front of a door and turned to Trish.

“There’s a big chair in there.” She said, softly, “It’s not a bed, but it’s something if you want to get your head down for a while. Don’t feel you have to leave. Stay with him as long as you want.”

She rubbed her shoulder before turning to leave. Holding back tears, Trish opened the door. And as soon as she saw him she rushed to his side, choking sobs escaping her mouth as she grabbed hold of his hand. His face was untouched, aside from the remnants of soot near the nasal cannula in his nose which was helping him to breathe. She could see the pads covering the burns on his bare chest and back, but his legs were covered by blankets so she had no idea how bad they were. But right now she didn’t want to know. All that mattered is that he was here. He was alive. And she was with him.

“Kev darlin’...” 

She whispered stroking a hand through his hair whilst keeping a tight hold of his with the other.

“I’m here. You’re safe. I love you.”

She leant forward, placing a kiss gently against his lips before the enormity of the situation finally hit properly and she broke down in tears at his bedside.

:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:

Trish didn’t realise she had fallen asleep, but she must have done at some point during the night as she watched him, looking for any sign of him waking up. Her head rested uncomfortably on the side of his bed and she felt the ache in her neck as she stretched herself out. She looked over at Kev, expecting him to still be asleep so was shocked when she saw the blue of his eyes, watching her. His face was pale, his eyes rimmed red making the blue of his irises even more vivid.

“Hey…”

She whispered it gently, smiling at him. She wanted to throw her arms around him, tell him how much she loved him and that she was afraid he would never wake up, but he looked too pained, too traumatised by what had happened and she didn’t want to upset him further. He didn’t respond in words, the only thing he did was reach for her hand, grasping it tightly in his. She could see the pain in his face and she knew he was hurting by the tightness of his grip on her hand.

“Do you need more painkillers?” She asked, quietly, making to get up from her seat, “I’ll go and get the nur…”

“Trish…”

His voice was hoarse, likely from smoke inhalation, and as he looked at her she had to fight back her own tears as she saw the tears in his eyes.

“Don’t go. Please. Don’t leave me…” 

She sat back down, grabbing hold of his hand in hers, kissing his fingers.

“I’m not going anywhere, I promise…”

He didn’t speak anymore. They just sat in silence, her hand never leaving his. But his face was contorted in pain and his breathing came in sharp rasps. She couldn’t bear to see him in agony like this.

“Kev, I’m going to go and find a nurse,” She said softly, squeezing his hand, “I’ll be right back, I promise…”

This time he didn’t try to stop her. The pain soared through his body making him want to scream out in agony except he didn’t have the energy. The painkillers didn’t touch it. He had never felt pain like it. He felt like he was going to die. Unwilling and frustrated tears splashed down his cheeks as Trish left the room, trying to find a nurse. She eventually found one, sat behind a desk in the main ward of the hospital. It wasn’t the same nurse as before, but then it had been a few hours, she had probably finished her shift. This nurse was older. She sat at a computer, her eyes scanning the screen.

“Excuse me…”

Trish said, trying to get her attention. The nurse smiled.

“Can I help?”

“My partner, Kevin Allison...he’s in a lot of pain. I was wondering if someone could come and…”

“Mr Allison is already on the highest dose of painkillers we can give right now…”

She said it gently and kindly enough, but Trish could feel the anger burning up inside of her.

“So you’re just going to leave him there in pain?” She said, and she could hear the venom in her voice, “He’s in agony in there...how would you feel if…?”

“I appreciate how you must feel, but there really is nothing we can do.” The nurse said, sadly, “Mr Allison’s injuries are severe. The pain will ease but the first few days will be tough. What he needs right now is your support. I will call in and check on him soon and see if he is able to have his next dose. I’m sorry there isn’t more I can do.”

She looked genuinely sorry and Trish felt guilty for shouting. And for leaving Kev for so long when he clearly wanted her there with him. She thanked the nurse, turning on her heels and heading back to his room. The curtains were pulled around his bed when she got there. A nurse must have done it, maybe to help him sleep.

“The nurse said she will come soon…” Trish lied as she grabbed hold of the curtain and pulled it aside, “I’m sorry it took…”

She stopped in her tracks as she saw two doctors at Kev’s bedside. The blanket across his legs had been pulled down, revealing the full extent of just what the fire had done to him. She tore her eyes away from the mess that had been made of his waist down and looked back up at his face, but he had turned away, facing the opposite wall.

“I…” She stuttered, unable to form any coherent sentences, “I...I’ll just be outside whilst you…”

Kev wouldn’t look at her. The doctors carried on their assessment or whatever it was they were doing as she grabbed hold of the door handle and ran from the room. Collapsing down against the wall she put a hand to her mouth and sobbed until she had no more tears left. She sobbed for the man she loved and the fear he must have felt up in that burning tower block with no one coming to rescue him and the pain he must be feeling now. She needed to see him. But she didn’t want to be in there whilst strangers stood gawping at him like he was some kind of science project. She waited until she heard the door open and watched them walk down the corridor away from her. Getting to her feet shakily, she took a deep breath before entering his room once more. The curtains were no longer pulled around the bed and she could see that he was still facing the wall. The shake of his shoulders told her that he was crying and it broke her heart.

“Kev…”

She whispered his name and he jumped a little as though he wasn’t expecting it. As he turned back to face her he looked like a lost little boy, not the brave, strong, funny man she had known for all these years.

“You left…” He whispered, “I thought you weren’t coming back. I thought…”

Trish felt the tears spilling down her cheeks now too as she rushed forward and collapsed into the chair, taking hold of his hands.

“I was always coming back.” She said, wiping the tears from his face, “I would never leave you…”

“Even now?”

He said, his voice ached with pain as he glanced down at the bed-sheets, then closed his eyes, trying to block out the pictures of what he knew lay underneath them. He looked up at Trish, the woman he loved with all his heart and wondered how she could ever want to stay with him now.

“What am I?” He cried, his words coming out in sobs as she looked at him, heartbroken, “What am I to you now?”

Her heart broke as she looked at him, his face full of confusion and pain and disgust. She took hold of his face in her hands, making him look at her.

“You are _everything_ to me.” 

She replied strongly. She climbed up onto the bed with as much care as she could take, wrapping her arms around him as he buried his head into her shoulder. She wanted to hold him so tightly but she didn’t want to hurt him, so her hand found his hair, stroking through it with gentle, rhythmic movements.

“You are here. You are alive. That is all that matters. I love you Kev Allison. I love you so much…”

She felt his tears soaking into the thin material of her t shirt as his body began to shake with sobs, his arms wrapped around her waist, clinging to her like a child craving protection. She kissed his hair and soothed him, wishing this was all just a nightmare that they could both wake up from.


End file.
